The US embassy will operate as a liaison office
Turkey, Nato's only Muslim member, has also reopened its embassy in Kabul, in a ceremony attended by Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem and the newly appointed ambassador, Mufit Ozdes.
And several other countries, including the UK and Italy, have restaffed their embassies, in what appears to be a gradual return to diplomatic normalcy in Afghanistan.
US Embassy
Two American Marines hoisted the same flag that was taken down nearly 13 years ago at a ceremony attended by Washington's special envoy to the country, James Dobbins.
"Today's ceremony symbolises the return, after more than a decade of absence, of the United States to Afghanistan," Mr Dobbins said. "We are here, and we are here to stay."
Full diplomatic relations will be restored with Afghanistan when the new interim government is installed on 22 December.
The embassy has been watched over by Afghan custodians since early in 1989, when the last of the American staff left.
The last US ambassador, Adolph Dubs, had been kidnapped by Islamic militants a decade earlier and killed during a botched rescue attempt by Afghan security agents.
In September this year -- one week before the US started its bombardment of Afghanistan - the embassy compound was stormed by Taleban supporters.
They set fire to a maintenance area but caused no other damage.
Turkish embassy
During his one-day visit to Kabul for the re-opening of the Turkish embassy, Foreign Minister Cem met representatives of the interim administration.
"We are ready to help the Afghan people and the new Afghan government on every issue in every field," Mr Cem said at the ceremony.
"We are offering Turkey's expertise and experience in restructuring of civilian and military institutions."
The Turkish foreign minister visited the Ataturk Paediatrics Hospital, a 120-bed facility in the capital which is supplied by Turkey.
He is also scheduled to go to the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif to reopen the Turkish consulate there.